


Other World

by DestinedJedi87



Category: Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 18:59:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10905453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinedJedi87/pseuds/DestinedJedi87
Summary: Gohan didn't think it could get worse after Cell, but when he comes down with Goku's heart virus, the young Saiyan will learn it can always get worse... and better too. Goku/Gohan fluff. No slash.





	1. The Death

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GohanLSSJ2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GohanLSSJ2/gifts), [PrismBunny90](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrismBunny90/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

_Three weeks after Goku's death..._

Gohan sat at his desk in his room, a book laid out before him and pencils and papers strewn about everywhere. He was trying with all his effort to focus on the print before him detailing Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and how it related to the superstring theory but he just couldn't bring himself to muster enthusiasm for it. Gohan had his elbow perched on the desktop, supporting his face, his eyes half closed, deep in thought.

 _It was all my fault_ , he thought. _I don't care how much Daddy says it wasn't me; if I hadn't toyed with Cell_ , _he'd still be alive._

Technically speaking, that wasn't really true — once the Z Warriors had gathered the Dragon Balls on Kami's Lookout, they had theorized on using the Dragon Balls to teleport themselves to New Namek and revive Goku there, since the Namekian Dragon could restore those who had died once before, but the pure-hearted Saiyan contacted all of them from the Other World, insisting that he should remain dead so their longtime enemies couldn't hunt him down, but it didn't ease the pain in Gohan's heart.

 _Oh_ , _Daddy..._ he thought sadly, feeling the beginnings of tears welling up in his ears. _I'm so_ , _so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?_

With that, Gohan laid his head down on the desktop and finally gave in to his torn and wildly fluctuating emotions, sobbing like a little baby as he let his agony and grief take hold of him and run its course. For how long Gohan remained like this, he couldn't say, but he was aware of eventually calming down, and finally, lifting his head up. Sniffling, he wiped his nose and looked back down at his textbook.

It was smeared wet by tears and snot, and Gohan sighed, knowing instantly that his mother wasn't going to be happy about this, but he doubted she'd notice; Chi-Chi was still dealing with the effects from Goku's decision as well, and even now, even through the walls of the house, he could hear her crying. She would often cry whenever she thought Gohan wasn't around, but he could still hear her, and Gohan knew any efforts to try and talk to her about it would be shot down.

Gohan was seriously contemplating just going down to talk to his mother about sharing her problems with him when suddenly, without warning, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and he tipped backward in his chair, which crashed into the ground with a thud.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" he cried.

It was horrible. He tried to move, but it felt like there was a thousand pounds on his torso. He couldn't lift himself!

"Gohan!" he heard his mom from outside the door. "Gohan, what's wrong?"

She rushed inside, kneeling quickly by Gohan's side as he clutched at his heart.

"Aaaahhhhh!" he cried out as another sharp jolt shot through his chest.

"Gohan, my baby, speak to me!" Chi-Chi demanded, laying her hands down on Gohan's shoulders and shaking them.

Blearily, Gohan opened his eyes. He could barely focus them on her.

"Get... Bulma..." Gohan gasped. "Need... Trunks's medicine..."

"Oh no!" Chi-Chi wailed. "You have Goku's heart virus!"

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Gohan screamed as the pain intensified.

By the end of the day, all the other Z Warriors knew. However, to their horror, the medicine Trunks had brought back with him from the future to cure Goku's heart virus was gone and with no way to get in contact with the future Saiyan, there was absolutely nothing that they could do. Of course, Chi-Chi refused to give up without fighting. She called as many doctors as she could, but they all said the same thing: There was nothing that could be done. After shouting herself hoarse, she finally came to accept the truth.

That final day, the entire gang had assembled to see Gohan off.

"I can't believe this!" Yamcha raged. "Gohan saved us all from Cell, and this is his reward? It's so unfair!"

"I know, Yamcha," Tien comforted his friend. "It stinks."

Piccolo said nothing, but deep inside, his heart was tearing itself to pieces. How could this be? Gohan, the boy he had trained so long ago, the spoiled crybaby who grew into such a fine youth, the boy he had vowed to watch over and protect, how could he be dying? Yamcha was right, the green-skinned man thought. It was totally unfair. Was this how fate rewarded its heroes? First Goku, and now Gohan.

For reasons that were unknown to anyone else, even Vegeta was there, taking time off from his busy training schedule to attend what was basically the death of Gohan. No one there knew why, and no one there was brave enough to ask him, but Piccolo suspected that, for as much as Vegeta might feign nonchalance, he was there in an unofficial capacity as the Prince of his race to see off the last of his kind besides himself and Trunks.

"It's almost time now," Piccolo spoke, his dull baritone piercing the dull silence that had momentarily descended on all of them. He turned his head towards Gohan's room. "Gohan's life force is getting weaker and weaker. It won't be long."

In the midst of their sorrow, none of them had even noticed a life force drawing closer and closer, none but Vegeta, who glanced over as the door suddenly burst open, and a lavender-haired young man flew over the threshold. All eyes turned to face the newcomer. Still panting in exhaustion, Trunks nonetheless wasted no time in saying what he wanted.

"I just heard from my grandmother," he said. "I came here as soon as I could. How's Gohan?"

Vegeta scoffed and looked away.

"Dying," Piccolo commented neutrally. "It'll be any moment now."

"What are you saying, Piccolo?" Yamcha demanded optimistically. "Trunks is here! All we need is his medicine from the future!" Eagerly, he glanced back at him. "Trunks, can you get it? We really need it!"

"Save your breath, wolf-boy," Vegeta snarled. "In the time it would take you to get in your time capsule, return to the future, and return with that heart medication, Kakarot's son will already be dead. You may as well stay."

"Are you sure, Vegeta?" Bulma asked, holding baby Trunks in her arms. "Wouldn't it be better to try?"

"No, Vegeta's right," Tien said, looking sick. "There's just not enough time. It would be a wasted effort."

"Damn it!" Trunks yelled, slamming his fist into the wall and causing an indent. "If I'd only come back sooner... this wouldn't be happening! Now I have to stand by and watch him die all over again! It's just so stupid!"

And with that, Trunks slid down the wall, tears falling down his cheeks. Bulma moved to comfort him as Piccolo resumed his vigil, his eyes fixed on the door to Gohan's room. It wouldn't be longer now.

Inside the room, Gohan lay on the bed. Chi-Chi knelt beside it, her hand clasping her baby boy's. With the assistance of morphine, Gohan was coherent enough to speak, but from the fading expression on his face, it was quite clear her son was nearly gone. Tears cut long swaths down Chi-Chi's beautiful face, but despite her sorrow, Gohan couldn't help but smile.

"It's... okay, Mom," he insisted. "I'm off to see Daddy now..."

Chi-Chi nodded, tightening her hold on Gohan's hand.

"I know. Please tell him I love him and I'll be waiting for the day when I see you both again," she asked him.

"I will..." Gohan said distantly, and with that, his head fell back against the pillow. His whole body slumped, and Gohan, the son of Goku, savior of the entire world, lay there on the bed, now dead.


	2. Arrival in Other World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

Gohan was floored by what he saw. He was standing on a stone pathway leading up to a majestic-looking imperial palace, with many spires and walkways and very fancy decorated archways that gave the whole place the distinct impression of age and power. Below him was fluffy golden-cream clouds and above, a wide expanse of pinkish-lavender sky. His entire surroundings appeared to possess a vibrant, energetic feel, like a surreal dream. Gohan looked down at himself and patted his body over a few times.

"I'm dead," the boy said. "I'm really dead."

Somehow, it didn't seem so frightening now that he was at the literal gates of the afterlife... but what was going to happen to him now?

"Move along, please!" a voice blared, and it sounded like someone was speaking into a megaphone. "No pushing, please! Please proceed in an orderly fashion to the check-in station! Your judgment awaits!"

And for the first time, Gohan noticed the other inhabitants of this strange after-realm. There were dozens of ogres in crisp little business suits complete with ties standing on the edges of the path leading up to the palace. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of tiny little clouds floated up the pathway. Some attempted to cut in line, but with a prod from the ogres, they were quickly disabused of that notion.

"Hey, you!" someone shouted in his direction, causing Gohan to jump. "Get moving!"

Gohan turned back and saw a blue-skinned ogre gesticulating at him.

"Oh, sorry," Gohan apologized, bowing politely. "I'm new here."

The ogre's look wasn't unkind as he spoke next. "Everyone is, kid. But we all have to obey the rules. Now get going."

Gohan nodded. Aside from a few minor incidents, he made it to the palace just fine. Inside was a simple but lavish room decorated in hard wood walls and banners stretching across them, bearing many exotic symbols for the afterlife. A huge mahogany desk stood in the center of the room, and just behind it, seated in an equally large chair, was an absolute behemoth of a man. He was dressed in a smart bluish-purple suit of silk velvet, with a white undershirt, orange tie, and a similarly hued cap with curved ivory horns poking out both sides. The man was red-skinned with full beard with sharp, probing eyes that seemed to watch you in a hawk-like gaze.

Soon, the souls in front of him been judged and sentenced, and Gohan found himself standing alone in front of the giant man.

"Hmm, Gohan," he said, flipping through a notebook. "I wasn't expecting to see your case for several decades."

 _I wonder why that is_ , Gohan thought.

"Um, excuse me, sir, but are you the Great King Yemma?" Gohan inquired. "The one who decides what happens to the deceased?" and then Gohan remembered his manners. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude. Please forgive me." He bowed politely with hands clasped, bowing his head. "But I've never been dead before. This is all very new to me."

To his surprise, the great giant began laughing. Gohan blinked.

"Polite, aren't you?" he said. "Yes, I am the one. But now the question is what to do with you, Mr. Son."

"What do you mean, Great King Yemma?" Gohan asked.

"Well, your file is exemplary," King Yemma said. "You may have noticed you have your physical body." At Gohan's nod, King Yemma went on. "As it currently stands, few souls but you and your father have ever been allowed that special privilege. Your next destination now is your choice. There are many places in Other World you can choose to go to."

"Well, if it's my choice, can I go see my father?" Gohan asked. "I miss him and I just want to see him again."

"Hmmm..." the king said, flipping through his notebook. "Yes, your father. I sent him to the Higher Plane. Your service record is definitely worth heading to the Grand Kai's planet to train. Are you sure this is what you want, Gohan?"

Gohan nodded. "Oh yes, please, Great King Yemma, I just want to see my daddy!"

"Very well." With that, King Yemma stamped something across Gohan's file. "You're all cleared. Just head through that way" — King Yemma gestured in the direction of an open doorway — "and you'll come to the Higher Plane."

"Awesome!" Gohan said, leaping up with a whoop of joy. "Thank you so much, Great King Yemma!"

Gohan walked through the doorway, and to his surprise, he found himself standing in an open field full of hovering platforms similar to Kami's Lookout, and on each of these platforms stood a jet airliner. After that, Gohan was processed by even more ogres. After being put on Plane 4-B, which, the ogres explained, was one of the few planes that ever flew to the Grand Kai's planet, Gohan obediently marched to the platform his plane was on. It was a bit dingy and beat up, but it still looked like it would fly.

However, nothing, not even the beat-up old plane, could dampen Gohan's spirits. He was bouncing up and down in his seat and looking out of the window impatiently every five seconds. Finally, after three weeks of mourning and lonely, empty nights he'd spent crying himself to sleep, he was going to see his father again! Gohan was smiling so widely it felt like his lips could split open. Just to be able see his father again and apologize for all that he'd done... it was like a dream come true.

 _This is truly heaven_ , Gohan thought happily. Then he sighed as the sobering reality of the situation caught up with him. _I hope Mom and all of my friends are doing alright back on Earth. Don't worry about me too much_ , _guys. We'll see each other again someday._

Feeling a bit melancholy, he looked out the window and gasped.

The plane that Gohan was in was soaring high above in a pinkish-lavender sky. Off in the distance, the warm brilliant glow of a yellow sun could be seen, adding a vibrant splash of natural beauty to the extravagant vista. And there, only a few thousand miles away, was a planet, sparkling brightly like a magnificent diamond and covered in blue and green swirls.

 _Wow..._ Gohan thought. _It's... it's absolutely gorgeous! My gosh. I guess that's the Grand Kai's planet._

His plane was on a direct course straight towards that world. As his plane circled in for a landing at the airport, Gohan could make out the individual oceans and landmasses. A few seconds later, the plane he was in swooped downward, angling in for a landing, and after several minutes of bumps and clangs reminding him once again of the sorry state of the rickety old plane, everything settled down.

Gohan unbuckled himself and stood up.

"Oh boy, this is it! I'm finally going to see Daddy again!" Gohan said with a wide grin. "I couldn't be happier if today was my birthday!"

Just then, a rather attractive uniquely colored Other World flight attendant came into the seating area. She had nice curves and was built rather pleasingly, with green skin of a rich emerald color as well as captivating violet-hued eyes that seemed to be alive with energy and innocence, and she wore a tight, form-fitting stewardess's outfit that hugged her body rather tightly, particularly around her chest. Gohan blushed a bit at just how beautiful this woman was.

"We've arrived at our destination," she told the boy kindly. "Please, follow me and I'll take you to see the Grand Kai's planet."

"Oh man, thank you so much, miss!" Gohan said happily. "You're too kind!"

"Oh, just doing my job, is all," she giggled, utterly charmed by the boy's cheerful attitude.

Once they were outside the plane, Gohan marveled at the sight. Before him stretched a wide expanse of green meadow interspersed with trees and rounded, stylized buildings. The field was populated by beings from many different races that Gohan couldn't even begin to guess how many species were represented. Some looked completely human, then there were others ranging across the entire spectrum, from the humanlike to the vaguely human to many more who looked nothing like a normal human being and were totally alien. But more than their appearance, Gohan could _sense_ the high ki each and every one of them was emanating, from those who felt as strong as Frieza at his maximum to the truly terrifying ones, each as strong as Cell!

 _Wow_ , _I had no idea there were such capable fighters in the afterlife!_ Gohan thought, gaping like an idiot. _Any one of them here could have defeated Frieza_ , _or the androids when they first appeared! Amazing!_

"Incredible, isn't it?" the stewardess asked.

"I'll say," Gohan agreed.

Stepping down from the ramp, Gohan turned back to face the pretty woman.

"Thank you so much for your help, lady," Gohan said with another polite bow.

"It's no trouble at all!" the woman said with a big smile. "And oh, my name's Alice. What's yours?"

"Son Gohan," Gohan replied. "It was nice meeting you."

"And a pleasure to meet you as well, Son Gohan," Alice said sincerely. "I'll be sure to remember that name."

"Thanks!" Gohan said, waving goodbye at his new friend. "Well, see you later!"

"Bye!" Alice called as he headed off across the field. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for!"

As the battered old plane took off again, Gohan walked across the wide open space, searching for his father. After about fifteen minutes, however, he was beginning to feel lost, completely overwhelmed by the sheer size and feel of the Grand Kai's planet.

"This place is huge!" Gohan moaned. "How on Earth am I ever going to find my daddy here?"

"Hello there, young one," a voice said as a sudden shadow fell over him.

Gohan turned to discover an insanely muscular man standing right there behind him. His face was framed by thick, wavy, golden blonde locks running down his back and massive, bulging muscles straining underneath the simple white tunic he wore, and the man possessed a red headband strapped around his forehead, a heavy-looking belt, and a halo completed the look, but the expression on his face was nothing but kindly.

"A bit lost, are you?" the man chuckled sympathetically.

"Um... yeah, kinda," Gohan said, scratching his head. "You see, it's like this. My father came here before me, and I just can't seem to find him. It's... sort of my fault he died, and I just want to see him again so I can say sorry."

"Well, have you tried searching for his ki?" the man asked.

Gohan slapped a hand to his forehead. "Of course! Gohan, how stupid at you! Feel out his ki!"

He closed his eyes, opening his heart and mind to the world around him. There was a _very_ strange texture to the feel of this world, almost as though his ability to sense ki had shifted somehow upon his death, but Gohan quickly adapted to this change, and once he had received a clear picture of what the environment felt like, he started his search, noting each and every unique and strong ki on the Grand Kai's planet. After nearly a full minute, however, he had finally tracked it down — the distinctive pattern of his father's own, familiar ki. And it was close too!

Gohan's eyes snapped open.

"Thanks a lot, mister!" Gohan said gratefully.

"It was no problem, little man," the man chuckled. "And the name's Olibu, by the way."

"Well, thanks for all of your help, Mr. Olibu," Gohan said as he sprinted off. "Bye!"

"I wonder who that boy is," Olibu said aloud, putting a hand to his chin as he watched him race off. "Such a kind-hearted and pure young boy, to able to keep his body in death, and with such great strength. Something tells me I'll be seeing him again..."

Gohan, meanwhile, was running in the direction of his father's ki. He could feel it. Any minute now, he would be with his daddy once again! He turned a corner and came upon a white palace with many stained windows and majestic shapes. And there, standing in front of it with a squat little blue man... yes, that red gi, the spiky hair, and his ki... it was him! It was his daddy!

For a few moments, Gohan could only stand there, shaking in awe and joy as he listened to his father's voice for the first time in weeks.

"... all right, but where's the owner?" Goku was saying. "I've got to see him. The strongest man in Other World, what's-his-name."

"YOU'LL ADDRESS HIM AS THE GRAND KAI!" the blue man exploded. "KEEP TALKING LIKE THAT AND YOU'LL BE UP THE CREEK!"

 _Oh_ , _Father_ , Gohan thought delightedly. _It really_ is _you. You're... you're still the same._

Goku turned to face the blue man. "'Cause he's that strong? This big Kai?"

"GRAND KAI!" the blue man insisted.

"Grand Kai, got it," Goku said.

"D-Daddy..." Gohan whispered as he felt his control about to break loose.

Goku jumped, startled, as though he sensed the sudden ki behind him, and he whipped around to face Gohan. His face morphed into an expression of bewildered puzzlement as he gazed upon his own son.

"Goku, what's the matter?" the blue man beside him asked, also turning to face him.

Gohan had heard his voice before: King Kai. He hardly noticed that at the moment, however.

Goku was staring at his son, blinking in utter confusion.

"Huh, Gohan?" he said.

Gohan swallowed the knot in his throat and spoke.

"Hi, Dad."


	3. A Hell of a Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

"Gohan, is that really you?"

Gohan tried in vain to fight the rising tears, but it was no use, and he threw himself at his father, breaking down completely.

"Yes, D-Dad, it's me, it's r-r-really me, I-I'm sorry, I w-w-was so STUPID, it's b-because of m-me you d-d-died, and it's m-m-my fault, it's all m-my f-fault..." Gohan broke off, unable to utter anymore.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, slow down, son!" Goku said, pulling Gohan off of him and holding him at arm's length. "Calm down, okay?"

Gohan nodded clumsily, wiping his nose off on his armband.

"Now, how did you get here, Gohan?" Goku asked.

"I caught your heart virus," Gohan replied. "We never thought just that brief contact would transmit it to me too."

"Oh no! This is all my fault," Goku said sadly. "I'm sorry, Gohan. Now you're dead too." Goku hung his head. "I'm a horrible father..."

"No, please don't say that, Daddy!" Gohan insisted. "Please don't! There's no way you could have known about it!"

"Well, I suppose you're right about that," Goku said, and then he perked up. "I'll tell you what, son, how about I stop blaming myself for your death, and you stop blaming yourself for mine. Well, how does that sound to you, Gohan?"

"It's a deal," Gohan agreed happily.

"Excuse me, I hate to interrupt this little reunion, but I feel I really must be introducing myself," King Kai put forth.

"Oh, sorry, King Kai," Gohan said, bowing politely. "It's truly an honor to meet you. I've heard so much about you."

"Nah, you see, that's the difference between you and me, my boy," King Kai said. "You need to loosen up, roll with the punches."

Gohan just stared at the supposedly godly being.

"No? Okay, how about a joke?" King Kai said. "What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can roast beef!"

King Kai burst out laughing. Gohan continued staring.

"Still nothing?" King Kai said, sounding very disappointed. "How about this one: Do you know what ninjas wear? Sneakers."

King Kai laughed again. Gohan gazed at him in complete confusion.

"Um, sure, whatever you say," Gohan said.

King Kai looked a bit annoyed. "You're still not laughing? Okay then, this one's a real killer! If you're not cracked up by the end of it, I'll eat my shoe!" King Kai cleared his throat. "Alright then, why couldn't the pony say anything to the jockey? Because he's a little horse!"

While King Kai cracked up, Gohan just gazed blankly at him. "Um, good one."

King Kai sighed. "You're just like your father, you've got a lot to learn about comedy."

Then King Kai grew serious and smiled at Gohan.

"But seriously, it is my great honor to finally make your acquaintance," King Kai told him grandly. "I've been following your progress down on Earth, and you have every reason to be proud, Son Gohan. You killed Cell and restored order to your planet, and you've managed to surpass your father and mature into your own man."

Gohan blushed deeply. "Oh, you really think so? Well, thank you."

"Can we please go in now, King Kai?" Goku said impatiently. "I kinda wanna meet this Grand Kai."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that!" Gohan exclaimed. "Um, would it be okay if I came with you, King Kai?"

King Kai just stared at Gohan. "My, my, you are a polite one, aren't you?" And he shot a disgruntled look in Goku's direction. "Well, you've certainly got more manners than that rude, ruffian father of yours, I can say that much!"

Goku rubbed the back of his head, laughing awkwardly.

"But of course you can come," King Kai said, turning back to Gohan. "Let's go in right now."

"You!" a gruff, British voice called. "It's you!"

Gohan, Goku, and King Kai turned to look at whoever had approached them.

"Who's me?" King Kai demanded.

Two people stood there on the driveway. The first one, the one who had spoken to them, was even smaller than King Kai, with purple skin, a similar outfit to King Kai himself, and a monocle on his left eye. He was pointing directly at them. The other person was a tall, lanky, and green-skinned being that strongly reminded Gohan of a combination of Krillin and Piccolo. He didn't have a nose, just like Krillin, and wore simple white clothing over a blue undershirt with very long sleeves, topped off by a white-and-black turban perched on his head.

"Well, if it isn't West Kai!" King Kai yelled angrily.

The two gods ran over to one another and began snarling in each other's face.

"Dad, what's going on?" Gohan asked, utterly bewildered. "Why aren't they getting along?"

"Beats me," Goku said, staring at them in disbelief himself. "I had no idea there were TWO Kais."

After a few moments of watching them squabble, Gohan glanced over at the green-skinned man.

 _I know it's weird_ , _but he just really reminds me of Piccolo_ , Gohan thought. _It's just something in the way he carries himself. His power level's high_ , _yet there's something strange about it too_ , _like there's something holding him back._

The man stared straight ahead, giving no hint to his true emotions. Out of the corner of his eye, Gohan caught a glimpse of Goku staring at him too. After a few seconds, Goku looked down at his son with a swift, searching expression. Gohan nodded once in confirmation.

 _So_ , _you've sensed it then_ , _too_ , _Gohan_ , Goku thought. _There's more to this guy than meets the eye._

"... not to see the Grand Kai," Gohan tuned back into the conversation. He could have kicked himself for not paying attention. "Because _we_ have an appointment. As you must know, Pikkon here is the prize fighter in the West Quadrant. The Grand Kai called for him specifically."

Then West Kai's expression shifted as he noticed something strange about King Kai. Moving closer, he inspected the northern god himself, walking in circles around him, as though there was something about him that fascinated the West Kai.

"Huh?" King Kai said. "What's wrong?"

West Kai just held his monocle as he pierced daggers at the North Kai.

"What?" King Kai demanded, now totally unnerved. "Stop staring!"

West Kai suddenly burst out laughing, falling to the ground in hysterics. Gohan and Goku blinked.

"I don't get it," Gohan said, scratching his head. "What's so funny, Dad?"

"I'm not sure," Goku said, looking, if anything, more lost than Gohan was.

"You're dead!" West Kai said, pointing his finger at King Kai's halo.

King Kai grabbed the floating ring above his head, turning red. "Yeah, so what?!"

"The North Kai is dead," the West Kai laughed. "After all your corny jokes, it's about time you were funny!"

"It's not funny, you know," Gohan said ruefully. "You really shouldn't laugh when someone dies."

"Yeah, King Kai died saving our entire planet," Goku put forth. "He couldn't help it."

"And who are you?" West Kai asked, inspecting Gohan. "Why, you're just a little pipsqueak! What are _you_ doing in the Other World?"

Gohan blinked and blushed, looking down. Goku frowned.

"Hey, you oughta show these two the proper respect!" King Kai hollered. "Gohan and Goku here are both righteous warriors who have saved their side of the universe from certain destruction many times and they're much stronger than you can ever imagine!"

"Oh, strong, they're strong, eh?" the West Kai repeated smugly. "Please say that you're just telling another one of those awful jokes of yours. _Nobody_ in all of the Other World is as strong as my Pikkon."

"No, I admit you got me there," King Kai told the other god, adjusting his sunglasses. "Gohan and Goku _aren't_ as strong as Pikkon."

West Kai turned back to face him. "They're not?" he said, confused, wondering if King Kai was finally ready to concede.

King Kai puffed himself up and adopted a very haughty look. "They're even _stronger_!"

"Do you have any idea what you're saying?!" West Kai challenged.

"Yes," King Kai said, undaunted. "Goku and more importantly, his son Gohan, are stronger than your third-rate fighter!"

West Kai got right up in King Kai's face. "Impossible! No one is stronger than Pikkon!"

"Well, they are!" King Kai insisted.

"No, Pikkon is!" West Kai shot back heatedly.

"No, Goku and Gohan!" King Kai retorted.

"Pikkon is!"

"Goku and Gohan are!"

"Pikkon!"

"Goku and Gohan!"

"Pikkon!"

"Goku and Gohan!"

"Pikkon!"

"Goku and Gohan!"

Gohan and Goku swiveled their heads between the two Kais, as though following a tennis game.

"Um, Dad, are they gonna quit any time soon?" the boy asked as they kept trading insults.

"It doesn't look like it," Goku commented, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fine!" King Kai snapped. "Then I'll prove it!"

"You're on!" West Kai said, accepting King Kai's proposal.

King Kai turned to Gohan. "Well, go ahead, fight him!"

"What, right now?" Gohan said, pointing at himself. "Why me, King Kai?"

"You killed Cell," King Kai said, holding up a fist enthusiastically. "Goku's strong, but you've proven that you're even stronger than your father is! Come on, go show that old windbag what you're made of!"

"But... but I don't even _know_ Pikkon!" Gohan whined. "I don't want to fight him!"

"He's afraid!" West Kai noted. "You can win this right now, Pikkon!"

"Hold on," a voice called from somewhere nearby.

All turned to face the house.

"That must be..." King Kai began.

"The Grand Kai!" both the Kais said, and they fell to their knees, with Pikkon following them and lowering himself to one knee.

"Um, Dad, I think we'd better follow their lead," he whispered as he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

"Huh?" Goku said. "But why?"

"Goku, you have to bow!" King Kai insisted, reaching up and yanking him down urgently.

Just then, a bright light appeared on top of the house and soared down to meet them. The light resolved itself into the shape of... what could only be described as the "funkiest" man Gohan had ever seen before. He had very pale skin and hippie clothing, long white hair and beard, sunglasses which put Gohan in mind of Master Roshi, plus he carried a large boombox. His pointed ears marked him as being a Kai.

"Hey," the man said.

"Hail the Grand Kai!" West and North Kai shouted.

The Grand Kai danced their way, getting his jive on from the music playing from that boombox. Finally, he snapped the boombox off and walked up to the assembled group. Goku just stared at him. Gohan was more composed, but he was a bit surprised too.

 _This is the Grand Kai?_ Gohan thought. _He looks like he's a century out of date!_

The Grand Kai turned to look at him. Gohan gulped.

"Well, the clothes may be a bit out of style, but they do look rather groovy, don't you think, man?" he asked.

Gohan's already considerably light skin paled even further upon realizing the Grand Kai had read his thoughts. Even if he did look like an old hippie, the being before him was one of the highest-ranking gods of the universe and deserved the proper respect.

"Oh my goodness... I-I'm so sorry, Grand Kai," Gohan apologized, dropping his head even further. "I... I didn't mean to..."

The Grand Kai laughed and waved it off. "Keep your apologies, little dude. I don't need them." He turned to face the others. "Sorry to walk in on you guys like this." He cleared his throat. "Here's the down low and skinny. Pikkon, I need you to go straight to hell for me."

"Yes, sir," Pikkon said, bowing his head obediently.

Gohan winced in sympathy. _I thought Pikkon was a nice guy! Why is he being sent to such an awful place?_

"Well, I don't think that's very fair," Goku added.

King Kai leaned in close. "He's the Grand Kai! He can do what he wants!"

"But what did Pikkon do to deserve that?" Gohan whispered.

"Just be quiet!" King Kai hissed angrily. "It's not our place to question his authority!"

"You see, they're having a bit of trouble down in hell," Grand Kai elaborated.

"Some trouble?" all of the assembled beings repeated.

The Grand Kai held his arms up hopelessly. "Yeah, you see, everything was chill in hell. But King Yemma sent some doofus named Cell down there the other day, and he's not reacting well, you dig?"

"Cell!" Gohan growled as he clenched a fist by his side.

The Grand Kai noticed. "So, you've heard of this joker, little dude?"

"Yes," Gohan said, his whole demeanor radiating complete, total seriousness. "I was the one who killed him."

"Interesting," the funky Kai said, placing a hand to his chin as he pondered that news. "And it's not just him, either. Two guys called Frieza and Cooler and these other guys joined him and they're all running wild and stuff."

"Cooler and Frieza and Cell are working together?" Gohan said, now sounding very worried.

"It just keeps going," Goku said. "Even now, they're still causing trouble!"

"So, Pikkon, I want you to run down there and take care of them," Grand Kai said, and then he turned his gaze on Goku and Gohan. "And seeing how you two defeated them in the first place I want you to go as well. Maybe just the sight of you will convince them to stop."

"Yes, of course," Pikkon said.

With that, the green-skinned warrior took off.

"Sure!" Gohan said with a determined nod.

"You bet!" Goku said as he and his son stood. "We're on our way!"

With a flare of their auras, Gohan and Goku shot into the sky behind Pikkon, following in his wake.

"Just don't get in my way down there," he said. "I can promise you, you will not be needed."

"Yeah, we'll just see about that!" Goku said.

"Unless you're insanely strong, you're going to need our help!" Gohan put forth. "You have no idea how powerful Cell is."

"And Frieza and Cooler are nothing to laugh at either," Goku added.

Pikkon scoffed and turned his attention back to his destination.

* * *

With brutal force, Cell slammed his foot down on the head of the poor ogre he was harassing.

"There has to be a way out of here, and you are going to tell me it," Cell commanded, smirking at the ogre's obvious pain. "Because if you don't, I'll have to torture you and your petty friends for all eternity."

Assembled among the ranks of the ogres taken hostage was a wide variety of beings, but one difference separated them all from the other denizens of hell — these villains still possessed their physical bodies, and they weren't hesitating to use them to get their way.

Recoome of the Ginyu Force turned to face Burter.

"Man, teaming up with Cell was our leader's best idea yet," he said.

"Yeah, why settle for stability in hell when you can return to the land of the living and rule it forever?" the blue-skinned alien said.

"Now that we're all dead," Jeice interrupted with a smirk, "no one in the universe will be able to challenge us! We'll be invincible!"

Frieza, who had listened in on his Ginyu Force's conversation, started laughing.

"Yes, and I'll finally be able to take my revenge on all those damn Saiyans!" he cackled.

" _We_ will take revenge on them, brother," Cooler said fiercely, turning a gimlet eye on his younger sibling. "Do _not_ forget that."

"Oh, but of course," Frieza backpedaled. "We _are_ in this together, after all."

Over in the distance, Raditz, Turles, and Nappa guarded the prisoners.

"This is so boring," Nappa growled. "Why are we the ones on sentry duty?"

"It's because they still don't trust us, even in death," Turles answered. "The Cold family has always looked down on the Saiyans."

"They'll get theirs soon, you mark my words!" Raditz declared with a pumped fist.

"Settle down, or you'll blow a gasket," Turles said disdainfully.

"You dare talk to me like that?" Raditz yelled. "I'll have you know, I'm a first-class warrior and I've fought in dozens of campaigns!"

Nappa laughed. "You're nothing but a pathetic joke and you know it! Why else were Kakarot and the Namek able to beat you so easy?"

"What?" Raditz said. "No, they tricked me! They hid their true powers from me until the end!"

"Easy now, you two," Turles said. "We can't afford division in our ranks. Once we return to the physical world, we'll have plenty of time to pursue our vengeance against Kakarot and his friends, as well as those wretched Colds."

Nappa chuckled. "Sure, sounds good to me, but first, I got a personal score to settle with Vegeta," he said with a raised fist.

"And that's fine," Turles said with restrained laughter which was no less sinister than Frieza or Cell's. "Kakarot and his friends have proven that the legend is true. It _is_ possible to become a Super Saiyan. That will be our goal now too." He held up his hand and began gathering ki into it. "And once we achieve this new power..." He clenched the fist, which began shaking as sparks arced from it, causing the prisoners to tremble with terror, "we will dispose of our 'allies' and carve our own empire that will last for millennia."

He looked up at the sky, a frown passing over his face.

"But first, we will return here and show the rest of those cowardly Saiyans what it means to truly suffer," Turles growled. "They had their chance to join us, and, like fools, they turned their backs on us, their own brethren!" His eyes narrowed angrily. "We will make them pay for their transgressions. Especially that damn uncle of mine, Bardock..."

Back with Cell, he was applying even more pressure to his hostage.

"If you're going to talk, you'd better do it now," Cell laughed. "I can feel your bones beginning to crack. If you don't tell me what I want to know, then your skull is going to cave in. It's simple. Cooperate with me, and you get to live."

"Never..." the ogre grunted. "I'll... never tell you!"

Cell picked the red-skinned being up by the scruff of his neck. "Well, then, you know what?"

Cell brought the ogre right up to his face, a cruel smirk playing across his face.

"That makes you —" And Cell tossed him carelessly at the Needle Mountain. "Expendable!"

Before he could hit it, however, a blur caught him. Cell sensed the sudden ki and turned his head toward it. And there was Goku, floating in the air and holding the poor ogre. He glared daggers down at Cell.

"It's sad," Goku remarked disdainfully. "Even in death, you refuse to learn!"

Cell smirked eagerly as he shifted to face him completely.

"Who's this guy?" Zarbon asked. "I don't think I've seen him before."

"I don't know, but he seems pretty strong," Dodoria remarked.

"Is it Turles?" Cui asked, looking highly apprehensive about all this.

"No, you idiot, it's Goku!" Frieza cried. "He's here!"

"Well, what a fortunate turn of events," King Cold said regally. "Now we can take our revenge sooner than we had anticipated."

"If you think you can take us on then go ahead and try it!" another, more childish voice called.

Everybody turned to find Gohan hovering there, merely a few meters away from his father.

"Gohan!" Cell exclaimed, his eyes wide. "No! How? You're here too? But why?"

He actually took a few steps back in terror. Not surprising, considering Gohan was the one who actually defeated him.

"I'm here to stop you again, just like before, Cell!" Gohan announced.

"Pikkon, catch!" Goku yelled, tossing the hapless ogre down to him.

Pikkon caught the ogre, looking very annoyed. Cell, meanwhile, built back up to anger.

"Damn you, boy!" he shouted. "This is gonna be a bit harder than I thought, but I will have my vengeance!"

Cooler turned to face his brother. "Well, what are you waiting for, you spoiled brat? Let's power up!"

"Oh, and here I thought we'd take our time with them," Frieza stated sarcastically. "Fine, let's show these Saiyans our power!"

"Ah, my two boys are finally getting along," King Cold observed merrily. "Working together to bring down our common enemies. How I wished this day would come during all the years we were still alive."

"Oh, shut up, Father!" Cooler snorted. "Now is not the time!"

Both the brothers began concentrating their ki. As they focused intensely, their bodies began bulking up, taking on new dimensions, growing bigger and bigger. The earth around them shook and tiny rocks flew up into the air. Frieza's muscle mass continued expanding, bulging outward until his upper torso seemed like a giant boulder. And for Cooler, the taller he sprouted, the spikier he became, with blades and other sharp protrusions poking out of his arms and legs. His head morphed into a wickedly curved battle helmet. Frieza may have been elegant, but Cooler looked _scary_.

The two Sons stared down at the Cold brothers, neither of them impressed. Goku glanced at Gohan.

"Hey, son, what do you say we show 'em what we're really made of?" he suggested.

"You got it!" Gohan said with one nod. "That sounds good to me, Dad!"

Their auras flared around their bodies as father and son began powering up. If Frieza and Cooler's final forms were impressive it was nothing compared to what was happening to Goku and Gohan now. Fierce winds blew out from them and the earth shook like a bunch of titans were having a tap dance convention there. Fissure and cracks raced across the ground and even the two Cold siblings were having a hard time standing up. Pikkon noted all of this with sudden interest.

"Their power levels are rising," he said. "Incredible. And yet, they're still going up!"

With a savage battle cry, both of the Sons transformed. Their hair changed color from a deep raven black to a bright golden yellow, and in Goku's case, shot up entirely. Their eyes had morphed from wide, innocent black orbs to cold, narrow teal-green slits. Most importantly, however, their ki had shot up several hundred times to what it was before!

"Amazing," Pikkon breathed. "I've never seen such a transformation. What _are_ they?"

"I can't believe this!" Frieza shouted. "That little brat is a Super Saiyan now too?"

King Cold glanced back at their peons.

"Well, what are you idiots waiting around for?" he demanded. "Attack them!"

"Right, we'll put out their lights!" Recoome boasted.

"They may have killed us, but they can't compare to our numbers!" Burter added.

Dodoria turned to his partner. "You ready, Zarbon?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm more than ready to take down these Saiyan dogs," he said confidently.

And with a wicked grin, he began bulking out. His muscles took on bigger dimensions as he transformed into a monster. Wasting no time, the Ginyu Force launched themselves into the air at Goku and Gohan, followed by both Zarbon and Dodoria. Cui had hung back, looking very nervous. Frieza observed his subordinate's cowardice with mounting displeasure.

"Get going, you simpleton, or I'll deal with you myself!" Frieza yelled.

"Uh, right, Lord Frieza," Cui said as he took flight. "Sure thing."

The Cold soldiers approached Gohan and Goku, who looked at one another and nodded once. As they approached, the Sons started their assault. Goku elbowed Recoome, punched Jeice, and brought a chop down onto Burter's neck. Gohan swiped his arm across Zarbon's body, breaking his body armor, kicked Dodoria in the belly, then brought a vicious backhand into Cui's face.

The Cold soldiers dropped like rocks, right into the Blood Pond.

"You think you're so cool," Guldo said. "You're just like all the rest, always underestimating us, until your bones start breaking!"

And Guldo held up his arms like a hawk, sucking in a deep breath.

"TIME FREEZE!" he cried, holding his breath.

Smirking through his puffed-up cheeks, he looked over, and, to Guldo's utter horror, saw Gohan standing there too, holding his hands up and sticking his tongue out at him! Guldo's eyes bulged comically. Adopting a serious look, Gohan reached forward and punched Guldo in the stomach, violently expelling all of the breath he had been holding from his lungs.

"But..." Guldo wheezed, "how... did you... know?"

"Lesson number one, you shouldn't announce what your attack does before performing it," Gohan said imperiously. "Lesson two, we fought once. Remember me? I was the little boy that you almost killed back on Namek."

Clutching his stomach, Guldo followed his fellow minions and fell straight into the bloody waters below.

Frieza sighed. "Oh well. I expected no less of them."

"Value your closest underlings like you would a tool," King Cold quoted, citing a piece of his wisdom. "Keep them around while they're useful and they'll serve you well. Once they rust, dispose of them as quickly as possible.

"That's enough of that, Father!" Cooler snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, they're still standing!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much," Cell said with a smirk. "In case you've forgotten, I was the one who killed Goku."

Frieza turned to look at Cell with a grin. "Who said we were worried?"

"They might have improved, but they can't hope to take us all at once!" Cooler added, chuckling sinisterly.

"Boys, let's dispose of this Saiyan trash!" King Cold declared.

Opening his wings, Cell launched himself at the two Sons, followed closely by Frieza, Cooler, and King Cold. Gohan and Goku assumed a battle-ready stance, but at that same moment, however, a flaming fireball shot past them.

"What the..." Goku cried.

"Huh?" Gohan said. "Dad, is that...?"

The fireball stopped a couple of inches from cell and resolved itself into the form of Pikkon, slamming his right leg into Cell with a savage upward kick. Cell went flying into the Blood Pond with the rest of the fallen villains. The force of the attack was so great that Frieza, Cooler, and their father King Cold all went shooting away in other directions, smashing into the ground in different locations.

"It's... it's Pikkon!" Gohan said. "But how?"

 _He moves... so fast!_ Goku thought in amazement. _And he's almost as strong as Gohan was at the next level!_

Pikkon glanced sideways at the two of them, and Gohan noticed for the first time he wasn't wearing his bulkier clothes, clad only in a blue shirt and white pants. It was then that the full implications sank into Gohan's mind...

 _He wears weights!_ Gohan realized. _Wow_ , _he really is like Piccolo!_

Glancing away from them, Pikkon vanished, reappearing next to Frieza, who he savagely backhanded into the ground. The icy tyrant didn't get back up. Disappearing again, Pikkon appeared near King Cold, who was struggling to his feet, and shoved his powerful elbow into his stomach. Wincing and gasping for breath, King Cold moved forward a few paces before falling over, now wounded. Disappearing for the third and final time, Pikkon reappeared next to the last Cold.

"You..." Cooler growled. "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY!"

He made to grab Pikkon, but the Other World warrior brought a fist into Cooler's side with such enormous force that even Gohan couldn't help wincing in sympathy and Cooler's body briefly twisted in agony before he fell over.

Rising into the air, Pikkon began spinning in place over the Blood Pond.

"Dad, what's he doing?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know," Goku replied. "But look! That strange ki is surrounding him again!"

It was true; flames were erupting out of Pikkon's body, creating a swirling, fiery tornado, the force of which started draining the Blood Pond until finally, it exploded with unbelievable power, sending the villains tumbling helplessly through the air, on a heading straight for Needle Mountain, where they were impaled. After a few seconds of jerking and twitching, they went still.

Turles had seen his allies receive their beating, and he was beginning to feel that discretion was the better part of valor.

"Now what?" Raditz demanded. "They disposed of the Colds and Cell like it was nothing!"

"I know!" Nappa said, backing up fearfully. "This is insane! How strong are these guys?"

"I think now is the time to flee," Turles said. "We run away to fight again some other time."

"I'm with you," Raditz said. "Time to leave!"

And all three of them turned around, only to find their path blocked by Gohan.

"Ah, you!" Raditz snarled in surprise.

"Hi, Uncle Raditz," Gohan said pleasantly. "Been a long time, hasn't it?"

"I knew it was a mistake not to kill you from the start!" he said.

"Don't embarrass yourselves," Gohan advised. "I'm stronger than you are. Just surrender, and your punishment will be swift."

"You damn brat!" Nappa roared, aiming a punch at Gohan's face. "Surrender this!"

Gohan sighed, and a few quick blows later, the Saiyans were completely incapacitated. Gohan looked up as Goku landed near him a few meters away, wanting to check and make sure his son was okay.

"Hey, Gohan, are you okay?" Goku asked.

"Yeah," Gohan said, dropping the Super Saiyan transformation. "I'm fine."

Goku dropped it too, gazing down at their fallen former enemies.

"They just don't get it, do they?" Goku said.

"No, they don't," a voice said. "They give the rest of us a bad name down here."

Goku and Gohan both turned around to discover another Saiyan standing in front of them in green and black armor with a red shoulder strap. The Saiyan had a lot of battle scars and bore many similarities to Goku and Gohan.

"Hey, who are you?" Goku demanded.

"Don't tell me you want to take us on too!" Gohan said.

"No," the Saiyan said, walking closer. "Your strength far surpasses mine by an order of magnitude. It would be foolish to try."

Goku started at the Saiyan, totally confused. Gohan was the first one to pick it up.

"Hey, Daddy," Gohan said, starting to tremble. "He looks... he looks like you!"

Goku gasped, and Gohan counted this among the few times he'd ever seen his father taken completely by surprise.

"You... no... you're..." he said. "You can't be...!"

"I am Bardock," the Saiyan said. "Your father, and your grandfather."

Gohan gazed upon his grandfather — Bardock, apparently — with abject, unadulterated shock.

"You... you're my grandfather?" he said.

"Yes," Bardock said. "I knew you would be coming here someday. I... foresaw it. I can't begin to tell you how proud of you both I am."

"Oh, you really mean it?" Goku said, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, thank you!"

"You seem a lot nicer than those other Saiyans here," Gohan pointed out.

Bardock chuckled. "Let's just say death has given me a whole new perspective on things."

"Well, it's really nice to meet you, Father," Goku said happily. "I gotta say, I never expected to find you down here."

"Oh, really, Kakarot?" Bardock said with a smirk. "I would think that would be obvious. We Saiyans had a few redeeming qualities, yes, but we were not exactly the saints of the universe, now were we? If there were ever any one place you could expect to find a Saiyan, it would be here."

"I'm sorry you have to stay down here, Grandfather," Gohan said. "Maybe we could talk to King Kai about letting you go."

Bardock shook his head sadly. "No, I condemned myself with my actions, young warrior. I know that I don't deserve to get out. No, I... have something of a favor to ask you. A... rather personal request."

"Huh? A favor?" Goku said.

"It's nothing bad, is it?" Gohan asked warily.

Bardock sighed. "No, nothing that will destroy galaxies or threaten innocent people, I can assure you."

"Then we're listening," Goku told his father.

"When you return to Other World, would it trouble you too much to find my mate, Gine, and tell her I love her?" Bardock said tentatively. "Even now, I live in the hope that one day, we'll be reunited again."

"Your mate?" Goku said. "You mean my mother."

"Yes, Kakarot, I do," Bardock said.

"But how do we find her?" Gohan asked practically. "The Other World is huge!"

"Oh, you should be able to locate her fairly easy," Bardock replied. "For one thing, she's very much like your father here in temperament. She always was a gentle Saiyan. She never did like fighting much."

"Okay, sure!" Goku promised. "You got a deal."

"You bet!" Gohan agreed. "When we return to Other World, the first thing we'll do is try and locate her, Grandfather!"

Bardock turned and started walking away. "Good. I can't tell you how happy that makes me."

"Goodbye, Father!" Goku called. "I hope to see you again someday!"

"Take care!" Gohan called. "Don't ever lose hope, Grandfather!"

As he disappeared off into the distance, Pikkon landed beside them.

"So, you know him," he remarked.

"Yeah, that was my father and Gohan's grandfather," Goku said cheerfully. He glanced at Pikkon with a sheepish smile. "It looks like you didn't need our help to deal with all the problems down here."

"No, I didn't," Pikkon said. "But thank you."

With a new friend made, Gohan and Goku stared out at the landscape of hell, wondering what the future would hold for them.


	4. What Is The Tournament?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

After their little jaunt down into hell, Goku and Gohan returned to Other World, explaining to King Kai with a hint of disbelief all Pikkon had done to adversaries that they had had to give it all they had to beat when they were still alive. To their annoyance, King Kai seemed completely unfazed by what they were rapidly telling the north god.

"I'm telling you, King Kai, he beat Cell like it was nothing!" Gohan insisted. "It didn't look like he was even trying!"

"Yeah, and he may be as strong as Gohan, even as a Super Saiyan 2," Goku added.

"Goku, Gohan, you guys are soon going to learn that Pikkon's strength is not uncommon here," King Kai told them.

"But how?" Goku said. "We've been training for years, and we barely managed to reach these levels."

"Well, you see, that's the thing," King Kai went on. "While you two were able to achieve such drastic increases in strength while you were still alive, for Pikkon and the others, they have been training here on the Grand Kai's planet since they died thousands of years ago."

"Oh, that explains it," Goku said.

"You two have great potential," King Kai said. "Even if you are Saiyans, the things you two have done is very impressive, and with my help and the help of the Grand Kai, you'll reach new plateaus, ascend to levels you never could've reached when you were alive."

"Super!" Goku said, sounding excited.

"Um, King Kai, there's something bugging me," Gohan ventured. "But I don't quite know how to put it..."

"Go ahead, try," King Kai told the boy encouragingly.

"Well, it's just... you see, King Yemma told me only the souls who were good people in life get to keep their physical bodies," the hybrid said. "But, King Cold and his sons and Cell weren't good, so why are they allowed to keep their bodies?"

"Ah, I was wondering if one of you would get around to asking me that," King Kai said interestedly. "First, you should know there are two answers to that question, Gohan. The first and most simple answer is that in their lives, their ki has grown to such great levels that it cannot be contained within a ghost's fragile body. Now, the second and more direct answer is that there is such a higher concentration of evil within their souls that the material imbalance between ki and spiritual being must be canceled out in some way and only by retaining their physical forms does that naturally-occurring constant come and take place."

"Oh, so you're saying that if you're a bad person and incredibly strong, you get to keep your body?" Goku puzzled out.

"Exactly!" King Kai said.

"Well, that seems... incredibly unfair, to be honest," Gohan pointed out.

"It is the law of cosmic order, and one of the reasons that we allow beings who were both immensely powerful and people of well-defined moral principles in their lives to retain their mortal bodies when they die, to help us contain those who weren't," King Kai explained.

"Well, I've never turned down the opportunity to help someone, so you can count on me, King Kai!" Goku said.

"Yes, me too!" Gohan agreed.

"Splendid."

And now, they came to a stop in front of one of the training structures, where a crowd had gathered. They moved to greet them, but Gohan's attention was focused on the man leading this group.

"Greetings, King Kai," he said. "It is good to see you."

"You're that fighter who helped me find my daddy!" Gohan exclaimed.

The man looked down at Gohan and chuckled. "Yes, I do remember you, boy. I take it you found your father, then?"

"Uh-huh!" Gohan said cheerfully. "This is him. My daddy, Son Goku."

"Ah, I see you've met Olibu already," King Kai said, adjusting his sunglasses. "Wonderful. Everybody, I would like you to meet our two newest students, Son Goku, and his equally powerful son, Gohan."

Everyone greeted them.

"Hi!" Gohan said, bowing politely before the audience.

"Yeah, it's a pleasure to meet you all!" Goku said. "So are they all from the North Quadrant, King Kai?"

"Yes, and like you two, they were allowed to keep their physical bodies upon their deaths," King Kai stated. "They are well-known for their deeds of nobility and virtue throughout the cosmos, which are still passed down and remembered long after their passing thousands of years later." Here, he gestured to a purple fox man. "Mijorin here fought off an army of evil invaders about seven thousand years ago." He indicated a small being who vaguely resembled Android Fourteen. "Sarta bravely protected his planet from meteorites three thousand, six hundred years ago."

And then he pointed out the tall, stately-looking Olibu. "And Olibu here is also from the Planet Earth, just like you two. He's the guy who most of your heroic legends are based on as well as a few cartoons."

"You mean like Hercules?" Gohan asked.

"Exactly!" King Kai said. "You nailed it, Gohan! Good work there."

Gohan just rubbed the back of his head, laughing awkwardly.

"And I could go on and on," King Kai elaborated. "All of them were strong martial artists in life, and here in Other World, they're working on their ten thousand years of hard training so that they can earn a private lesson with the Grand Kai himself."

"Ten thousand years?!" Gohan exclaimed in shock.

"You're kidding me!" Goku said, equally shocked. "You mean you have to train that long before you get a lesson with the Grand Kai?"

"Well, yeah," King Kai stated, sounding unfazed. "You have to prove you're qualified or you'd just be wasting his time."

"I suppose," Gohan said.

"Sheesh, that's no fun," Goku said, crossing his arms together.

"Did you think he'd just take you on for free?" King Kai said, chortling.

"Well, we _are_ dead, Dad," Gohan pointed out. "It probably won't feel very long to us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Goku said. "And if I have to spend ten thousand years training before I can have a lesson with the Grand Kai, then I'm sure happy I'm spending it here with you, Gohan, my son."

He glanced down at Gohan with a proud smile, one that Gohan gladly returned, feeling a bubbling glow of happiness no one or nothing could EVER take away from him, no matter what happened. Finally, after so many countless years of being away from each other, of both distance and circumstances separating them, Gohan was here, with his daddy, and absolutely no mortal force, whether a death or a kidnapping or an exploding planet, could ever tear both Sons apart from one another.

Just then, everybody heard something, like a loud chanting.

"Huh, what is that?" Goku asked, turning his head back and forth.

"Whatever it is, it's moving closer to us," Gohan noted logically.

Whatever it was, it had moved close enough to the group for them to start discerning individual words.

"D-E-A-D! D-E-A-D! Oh my, it cannot be!" it sang, sounding like a chorus line.

They turned to find a group of Kais approaching them, West Kai in the lead.

"D-E-A-D! D-E-A-D! North Kai is really dead!" they chanted.

"CUT IT OUT ALREADY!" King Kai screamed.

"Oh come on, we're just having some fun," West Kai said. "You know, none of us have ever seen a dead god before."

"Not ever," a tall, salmon-colored Kai said.

"Until now," the lone female Kai said. "We'll have a big party!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" King Kai roared, very angry.

"Who are all those people getting King Kai so worked up?" Goku asked.

"I think they're other Kais, just like him," Gohan theorized.

"Correct, young man," Olibu said. "The tall one is South Kai. And she is East Kai."

"How many Kais are there?" Gohan asked, looking up.

"Only these," the heroic fighter said. "Well, at least on their level. Think of it as a ladder. On the bottom rung is all of space. Higher up is hell and then Snake Way. At the next level are the planets of the four Kais, who oversee their portion of the universe. And higher still, above the four Kais and all of the others, is the Grand Kai's planet, although there are legends that there is a higher level even than that as well as an ancient generation of Kais watching over the normal, lower Kais."

"Kind of like the gods of gods, huh?" Gohan said.

"Yes, exactly like that, young one," Olibu said with a charming smile.

"So do you think they exist?" Gohan asked him. "The older Kais?"

"To be honest, I really don't know," Olibu said with a head shake. "Affairs among the Kais are kept strictly secret from mortals, and any attempts to discover more are forbidden. But, if they _do_ exist, they must have immense powers indeed, being as old as they are."

"Awesome!" Goku said. "They sound like a powerful bunch of guys!"

Meanwhile, the other Kais were playing with King Kai's halo.

"There's just no denying it," East Kai said. "You're one dead god."

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, YOU NOSY OLD HAG!" King Kai shouted.

"You take that back!" East Kai said furiously. "I am not a nosy hag!"

The West Kai walked up to them and separated them both. "Hey, knock it off! A reunion's no time for arguments! This is the first time we've been together in three hundred years! So, we should prove which one of us is better with a martial arts competition!"

King Kai gasped.

"A tournament?" South Kai and East Kai said.

"A capital idea, if I do say so myself," West Kai announced grandly.

"But do you think the Grand Kai will go for it?" East Kai asked.

"Only one way to find out," West Kai said.

"You hear that, Gohan?" Goku said, pumping a fist eagerly. "A tournament! Just like the old days on Earth! Now's a chance to show me how far you've come and for us to test each other one-on-one!"

"But... but..." Gohan said, sounding stunned. A chance to test his father and fight him man-to-man? Slowly, the idea began growing on Gohan, and a slow smile spread across his face. "Sure. Sounds like a lot of fun!"

* * *

"An Other World Tournament?" the Grand Kai said once they'd told the idea to him. "I think that's just a killer idea, West Kai!"

"I said the same thing," West Kai said smugly.

"And to make things exciting," Grand Kai added, "I'll throw in a free private lesson to whomever brings home the gold, baby."

Everyone there gasped.

"You mean..." West Kai said. "The winner of the tournament..."

"Gets a lesson..." East Kai added, picking up his place.

"From you?" King Kai finished.

"Well, that beats training for ten thousand years," Goku said, glancing down at his son. "What do you say? Are you up to it, Gohan?"

"Yeah," Gohan said with a nod. "But... well, don't hold anything back just because I'm your son."

"Of course not," Goku said. "But I expect the same from you, Gohan."

Gohan grinned happily. "Just a test to find out which one of us is stronger, huh, Dad?"

"Yes!" Goku said, excited at the prospect of taking on a Super Saiyan 2 Gohan.

"Let's hear it for the Grand Kai!" one of the crowd shouted.

"Why, the last tournament was so long ago," the Grand Kai said, stroking his beard. He jumped off his throne and ran off. "Okay, follow the leader! I know just the place for our groovy tournament, baby!"

He headed behind one of the passageways situated on either side of his throne. Looking a bit confused, everyone else did as he said. They entered a massive hallway with plush decorated carpets and fine art tapestries depicting various battles and historic events taking place all throughout the cosmos. To Gohan's combined pride/embarrassment, he noted that many of their battles were shown as well.

"Wow, this hall is really weird!" Goku said.

"I think it's meant as a memorial," Gohan theorized. "I mean, they wanna honor all people have done throughout history."

"Oh yes, I remember that battle," Olibu said, nodding toward a still tapestry of him locked in combat with a winged devil-looking creature with fiery fists and evil eyes. In the picture, Olibu held a sword and a round shield. "One of the gods of the Earth who, I am sad to say, was abusing his authority. Let me tell you, slaying the God of Death is no mean feat either. Though I think the greatest of my accomplishments was rescuing that princess from the city, ending a war that had been fought for over a thousand years."

"Really?" Gohan said. "That's very impressive! You must be very strong."

"Um, is it true that in the Ancient Greece, people went around naked?" Goku asked the heroic fighter.

Gohan and King Kai fell over. _Yup_ , _you're still the same_ , _Father_ , the half-Saiyan thought, both delighted and embarrassed.

"I hardly think that to be an appropriate question to be asking," Olibu said with faint lines of disapproval written in his face.

Goku rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry."

Suddenly, the Grand Kai turned into an opening in the massive hallway, and, obediently, the group followed him in. They found him standing in front of a large double wooden oak door which, Gohan assumed, was the place they'd be holding the tournament.

"And... stop!" Grand Kai commanded, causing everyone to come to a halt. "Now I done a little redecorating, so watch the paint, y'all."

And with that, he pushed the doors open, leading everybody inside. Goku and Gohan shot each other a look before shrugging and heading inside with everyone else, and there, laid out before them, was what looked like outer space, a dark chamber with many different stars and planets wheeling around them in a cosmic pattern, weaving intricate patterns in the way they moved, all alive in a celestial dance.

For a moment, everyone could just stand there, speechless.

"So be honest now, whatcha think?" Grand Kai asked.

"It's so beautiful!" Gohan breathed. "It's like you have the entire universe contained in one, single room! I've never seen anything so amazing in my life! It's so big! And gorgeous! And breathtaking."

Grand Kai laughed. "Glad you approve, little dude."

"Man, this tournament's gonna be amazing!" Goku said happily. "I can't wait to start fighting in this place!"

East Kai turned to face Goku severely.

"What did you say, boy?" she barked. "You think you'll fight?"

"Isn't that the whole reason we're here?" Gohan inquired.

East Kai turned her gimlet gaze on the half-Saiyan, who continued to stare at her with confusion.

"And you, why, you're nothing but a child!" she said, stepping forward. "What on Earth is a boy doing here? This is not a playground. This is a serious competition, and we can't have a bunch of children here, slowing it down!"

Gohan felt his face flush. Yes, he _was_ a kid, but to have it thrown in his face that way...

"Settle down, you old hag!" King Kai snorted. "If you can't tell how powerful this 'boy' is yet, then you're getting old. If you opened your eyes and not your mouth, you'd see Gohan and his father Goku are plenty strong for this tournament."

She glanced back at Gohan, analyzing him closely, occasionally looking at his father, Goku, seemingly sizing them both up. Suddenly, she smirked widely, as if a great idea had suddenly come upon her.

"I know!" she said snappily. "I'll just test your qualifications."

"What... do you mean?" Goku asked, leaning forward a bit.

"If a lose in a race, then I'll withdraw my complaint," East Kai said haughtily.

"There she goes again," West Kai sighed.

"Indeed," South Kai agreed, hanging his head in shame.

"We can't take her anywhere these days without East Kai finding some excuse to go racing," West Kai added.

"It's bound to be more interesting than watching you four bicker," Grand Kai piped in.

East Kai turned a superior grin on the two Sons. "Well, which of you will it be?" Seeing no answer forthcoming she faced Gohan and smiled again. "Well, how about you? If I can't beat a child then I know what I'll do. I won't even enter the tournament!"

Goku gasped. "Are you sure you wanna do that, Miss East Kai?"

"Yeah, I'm a lot stronger than I look," Gohan added, trying to reason with the stubborn god.

"Oh, well, then we'll just see!" she said with a round of laughter.

King Kai had had enough. "Gohan, do it! Go on! Wipe that arrogant smirk right off her nosy little face!"

"How rude!" East Kai sniffed. "I can see your manners haven't improved in three hundred years!"

"Neither has your mouth!" King Kai shot back. "Still as big as ever! And still sticking your foot in it!"

"Why don't you come over here and say that?" East Kai snarled.

"Now, now, settle down," Grand Kai. "We're killing time here. Let's put the pedal to the medal and get going already."

"Okay, I guess I've got no other choice," Gohan said reluctantly.

Goku placed a hand on his shoulder. "Go ahead, son. I know you can beat her."

Gohan smiled up at his daddy. Meanwhile, the East Kai set up a motorbike a short distance away. Everyone moved over and Gohan took his place next to her. In the distance, he could see some sort of an arch, which looked like it might be the finish line. East Kai began revving the motorbike.

"Oh, hear that engine?" she purred.

"Gohan, do your best, son!" Goku told Gohan.

Gohan turned back and nodded to his dad.

"First one to pass through the archway wins," South Kai declared, who had taken the position as referee. "Ready?"

"R-R-R-R-R-R-Ready!" East Kai said.

Gohan took on a stance that he usually only reserved for battles, holding his arms to the side and hunkering down, legs spread wide apart, preparing to launch himself forward as fast as he could go.

"GO!" King Kai cheered. "GO! DO IT, GOHAN!"

South Kai held up a starting pistol. "Now on your marks... set..." He fired the pistol, and the crowd began cheering.

The East Kai took off, as fast as a speeding bullet, and Gohan was right behind her, both heading into the thicket of what appeared to be an asteroid field. East Kai sped on straight through the field, twisting and turning swerving her bike to avoid collisions with the larger rocks.

Gohan, meanwhile, was agilely leaping from asteroid to asteroid, seemingly a blur of difficult-to-see motion as he zipped between the spinning boulders, some the size of basketballs, with others as big as entire houses. His keen battle senses allowed him to quickly analyze the environment and adapt his movement for faster travel through the asteroid field. In no time at all, Gohan had caught up to the East Kai.

East Kai turned to regard the boy easily keeping up with her.

 _The boy's got more spunk in him than I thought_ , she mused. _She smirked. I'll just have to kick into... hyperspeed!_

Gohan watched with mounting horror as the eastern god zoomed ahead in a burst of sudden acceleration, moving almost too quick to see, and yet still moving through the asteroids with as much grace and accuracy as she had before.

Gohan frowned. He would not lose the chance to compete in the tournament. The opportunity one-on-one battle with his father? He wouldn't miss that for the world, and _nothing_ was going to keep him from spending some time with his daddy, to have him look down at him with such a proud, loving expression once he beat him and won the tournament, and to prove to himself that he'd moved out of his father's shadow and become his own person who could fight equally with the best of the best, including his dad. No way. Not a chance.

 _I didn't want to do this, but it looks like I've got no choice_ , Gohan thought. _It's Super Saiyan time!_

With a burst of gold flaring from his hair, Gohan's hair flashed to golden-yellow and his eyes changed to teal-green as he shot forward, no longer avoiding the asteroids, but smashing right through them. He was a meteor, an unstoppable force barreling down on the finish line with all the might and speed of a freight train.

"That again," Pikkon observed, noticing the golden aura that had now surrounded the teenage half-Saiyan.

"And I just finished arranging all those asteroids," Grand Kai sighed, more concerned with the damage to his room.

The East Kai was shocked to discover that, one moment, she had been in the lead, and the next, a golden blur shot ahead of her with blinding speed, and the god's eyes bulged out as wide as saucers.

"What was that?!" she demanded. "It can't have been that same boy! Impossible!"

Hurtling through the asteroid field, destroying all of the wayward boulders in his way, Gohan could see it — the finish line — and with a final rush of speed, the Saiyan hybrid crossed it, coming to a complete halt on the other side. Feeling a bit self-conscious Gohan dropped the Super Saiyan transformation, and turned to face the approaching East Kai, blushing crimson like a tomato and holding the back of his neck.

"What was that?" she demanded as she pulled to a stop in front of him, now glaring daggers at him. She got off the bike and approached Gohan. "How in the heavens did you beat me? You can't possibly be that fast!"

"Yes, he is," Goku's voice suddenly said, and the East Kai whipped around in shock to find Goku there, too, sitting on an asteroid nearby. "I told you, Gohan is stronger than he looks. He is my son, and you shouldn't doubt his word."

"But... you... how did you get here?" East Kai demanded.

"Instant Transmission," Gohan said with a nod.

"Exactly," Goku said, hopping down off the asteroid and heading over.

Just then, they heard some loud laughter coming from nearby, and they all turned to find...

"Grand Kai?" they all said, surprised.

Indeed, there he was, sitting on top of the archway, holding up a gold medallion.

"You both ran a fine race," Grand Kai said as he jumped down. "But the winner is..."

East Kai gulped, worried that she'd now have to fulfill her promise and stay out of the tournament. Gohan shot her a pitying look.

"Myself," the Grand Kai said, placing the medal around his neck.

Goku fell over. "But... Mr. Grand Kai... I mean, Gohan beat her here, right? Doesn't that make him the winner?"

"While you two were moseying on over here, I happened upon this place first, baby," Grand Kai said.

"Oh yeah, I guess you did kinda get here first," Goku said with a neck rub.

"Oh sure, I can live with that!" East Kai babbled. "Yes, yes. You are the Grand Kai and no one is faster than you."

Gohan sighed, vastly relieved. Truth be told, he hadn't wanted to run this race, and to have East Kai upped the stakes so dramatically, well, he had been worried someone was going to end up getting hurt. Now, no one would be upset. He was just happy it had ended peacefully. He shot a grateful look at the Grand Kai, who returned it with a sly wink.

"Now let's head over to the Coliseum," Grand Kai said. "It's time for the real games to begin."

"Yes!" Goku said, pumping a fist. "This is so exciting!"

Gohan nodded. "Let's get going."

And with Gohan's eligibility proven, the four headed back to the others, ready to start the tournament.


	5. Other World Preliminaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

Once they were finished with all the distractions, the Grand Kai led them to a rather large and impressive stadium built atop of one of the larger asteroids in the field — it appeared just like the Coliseum from Ancient Rome, with rows of marble seats neatly arranged in a diagonal pattern the further up that they rose up, framing the night sky rather beautifully, and there, placed in the exact center of the stadium, stood an arena, like the one Cell had built for his impromptu tournament to determine the fate of the world.

The Grand Kai had changed into more official-looking robes and surveyed the stadium from his throne at the head of the arena, which would give him an optimal view of all the fighting soon to take place.

"The Kais sure have done a stupendous job whipping this old arena back into shape," he said. He cleared his throat and turned to face the assembled gods and their fighters. "Okay now, see here... in order to determine this here competition and who'll exactly be fighting in it I've decided we'll go ahead with the drawing of some numbered lots. Line placement shall be determined by order of quadrants."

He gestured to four large pots next to him.

"The lot is a paper slip, and will light up to indicate the level of your strength," Grand Kai went on. "Green if you have only the basic skills, blue if you are quite skilled, and red if you really feel the burn, baby, and have exceptional strength. Well, come on, now, don't stand there looking all confused. Let's figure who makes it to the tournament."

"What do you think, Daddy?" Gohan asked his father. "Do you think we can make it?"

"Of course!" Goku said. "You can do anything once you put your mind to it."

Gohan laughed. "That's you, Daddy. Always thinking if you try hard enough, everything will turn out all right."

Goku laughed awkwardly, and hearing it was like music to Gohan's ears. For like the millionth time since dying, Gohan hugged his father to make sure that he was really here, wrapping his arms around his midsection and squeezing him tightly, and like before, Goku returned the hug. He didn't say anything, but Gohan got the feeling he knew what was going through Gohan's head.

"Now, now, enough of that," King Kai said, although Gohan could sense the underlying sympathy and understanding in his voice. "You'll have plenty of time for that later. Right now, you should get in line."

Goku and Gohan got in line with the other North Quadrant fighters. Most candidates, it seemed, were only able to draw blue tickets with a few greens scattered in among those. However, when it was the time for Olibu to draw his lot, everything changed. The noble fighter opened the slip of paper, and the ticket within his hand flashed to crimson — and just like that, Olibu had made it in unquestionably.

"Well, that's no surprise," Goku said.

"Yeah," Gohan agreed with a nod. "He's pretty strong. We're gonna have our hands full if we fight him."

"We've just gotta get red lots, too, so that we'll have a better chance of making it to the tournament!" Goku said.

"Next," the ogre at the pot said, and Goku stepped forward, did a few stretches on his legs, and then reached inside.

"Oh boy, come on, please be red!" Goku begged, and he opened the slip of paper to reveal... a shining red ticket!

Gohan smiled. _As though there was ever any doubt._

"YES!" Goku said with a shout of joy. "I did it!"

Gohan giggled at his father's childish antics.

"Next," the ogre said, sounding bored.

Gohan moved forward and reached inside the pot. He pulled out his own slip of paper, tore open the front, and reached inside. As soon as he had he wasn't surprised to find out that his ticket was red like his father's.

 _If Father was strong enough to get red_ , _and I'm a little stronger than him_ , _it's only logical_ , he thought.

"My, my," Grand Kai said. "Three fighters from the North Quadrant got red. Quite an impressive accomplishment, dudes."

"Thank you, Grand Kai," Olibu said, inclining his head. "You honor us with your kind words."

Gohan blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, thank you, Grand Kai, sir."

Off to the side, West Kai was contemplating all that he had heard. _Perhaps they are much stronger than I first gave them credit for_ , he conceded, and then he smirked as he laid eyes on his prize fighter. _But they're still no match for my Pikkon. No one is._

Pretty soon, the lots had all been drawn. Gohan looked over and noticed Pikkon was the last one. To no one's surprise, he also picked out a red-colored ticket, the same as Olibu, Goku, and Gohan had.

"Awesome! Pikkon's in too!" Goku said, practically shivering from the anticipation. "This is gonna be so great!"

Once the lots had all been drawn, they were then sent to the Grand Kai for him to look over. After a brief period of waiting for the supreme god to make his announcement, the old hipster rang a gong, and the fighters all made their way to stand before him.

"You all done very well, baby, to make it this far," Grand Kai said. "Before I make my announcement, however, I would like to offer my personal congratulations to the five warriors who managed to make their lots turn to red: Goku, Pikkon, Gohan, Olibu, and Torbie, stand up and take a bow, dudes. You've earned it."

Gohan blushed under all the attention he was receiving. Goku just stood there, looking confused, Olibu received it all with dignity, Pikkon looked stoic, and the tall, red, insect-looking man who was obviously Torbie just nodded.

"Three fighters from the North Quadrant managed to change their lots to red?" South Kai said. "How is that possible?"

"This isn't good," East Kai said. "This will greatly reduce our chances for the championship."

King Kai laughed. "You know it! No one is stronger than my warriors!"

"Speak for yourself," West Kai said, turning away. "Pikkon's gonna win it all."

King Kai growled angrily, but said nothing. The Grand Kai cleared his throat.

"You are all extremely talented young men and women," he said. "However, there are only sixteen slots open for the tournament, and after reviewing it all, I have decided that the finalists shall be, from the North Quadrant, Olibu, Goku, Gohan, Mijorin, Sarabu, and Sarta, Pikkon, Maraikoh, Yanakido, and Tapikar, from the West Quadrant. Then from the South Quadrant we have Torbie, Gamma, Froug, and Caterpy, completed by Arqua and Chapuchai from East Quadrant."

"What a disgrace!" East Kai sniffed. "Out of all of the Kais here, I end with the lowest number of competitors. Only two!"

King Kai laughed. "If you spent as much time training your fighters as you did gossiping, you'd probably have more of them, East Kai!"

"Why, how dare you!" East Kai snarled, rising to the bait without hesitation. "I'll have you know that my quadrant is well-known for producing some of the strongest fighters in the entire universe!"

"Yes, but tough at fighting, or tough at running away?" King Kai said with a superior laugh.

East Kai got right up in King Kai's face.

"You may be laughing now, but we'll see which god has the last laugh when the tournament is over!" she threatened.

"Yes, me!" King Kai said, inching closer until they were practically both eye-to-eye.

"No, it'll be me!" West Kai said, nosing himself into the conversation. "My Pikkon's gonna beat everyone!"

"You stay out of this!" East Kai yelled. "This doesn't concern you!"

"You're just jealous because you know Pikkon could beat everyone on your team without even trying!" West Kai retorted.

"That's some big talk, West Kai, but I notice only one fighter on your team got a red ticket," King Kai fired back. "Not only did THREE of my fighters get red, but I have the most competitors in the tournament! You're getting senile!"

"It's quality, not quantity!" West Kai returned quickly, as the three Kais shoved faces together. "If your fighters are stronger, my Pikkon is quicker! If your fighters can produce more ki then my Pikkon can multiply his!

"All right, that's enough," the Grand Kai interjected, and the three arguing Kais instantly shut up at once. "We're here to get our groove on, and with you three bickering, it just ain't all that hip, you dig?"

"Yes, Grand Kai," they said obediently.

Suddenly, a man with a mushroom for a head walked up, dressed in a very smart blue seat with tie.

"If I can have your attention please," he said. "Greetings to you all, my name is Toadstool and I'll be the announcer. It's time now to draw the lots and determine who will be battling who in this tournament."

"Oh boy!" Goku said. "This is gonna be great!"

East Kai sniffed. "What a child. His son acts more mature than him."

 _You have no idea..._ Gohan thought, having heard her.

The rest of the fighters had gathered around Announcer Toadstool.

"We'll be drawing numbered lots, and the order will proceed from North Quadrant to South Quadrant," Toadstool said.

"Well, that seems simple enough," Gohan said.

"First up's Son Gohan from the North Quadrant," Toadstool said.

Gohan unfolded his arms and moved to a small box set up alongside the Grand Kai. He reached in and pulled out a number nine.

"And Gohan will be fighting in the fifth round," Toadstool said.

"I guess it wasn't too bad," Gohan said offhandedly.

"And now, Son Goku," Toadstool said, and his father stepped up to the box.

"Come on, please let me be against someone strong," Goku begged.

He pulled out a number one.

"That places you in the first round of the tournament," Toadstool said.

"Geez, now I'll probably get someone weak," Goku complained.

"Olibu, you're up!" Announcer Toadstool prompted.

The strong, majestic-looking warrior stepped up and managed to pull out number seven.

"Looks like you'll be fighting in round four just before Gohan's match," the mushroom-headed man said.

Olibu looked down at Gohan. "If we are destined to meet in the ring today, young one, I want you to try your best against me."

"Of course," Gohan nodded. "I won't take it easy on you just because of how you helped me."

"You know, it just occurs to me," East Kai suddenly spoke up, adjusting her sunglasses on her face. "This is going to end up being really awkward if one of our fighters have to battle one another."

"Yeah, especially in your case, since you only have two fighters," King Kai said smugly as competitors continued drawing lots.

"Don't you know the underdogs are always highly underestimated?" East Kai demanded. "We'll make a huge comeback!"

"Haha, we'll see!" King Kai said.

East Kai just fumed. Meanwhile, the rest of the North Quadrant had finished up with selecting their numbers — Mijorin had drawn a four; a tall, voluptuous, emerald-colored woman with long black hair framing her face and startlingly violet eyes, Sarabu, chose the number six, and finally, Sarta, rather ironically, had selected fourteen, placing them in the second, third, and seventh rounds, respectively.

"Next up's the West Quadrant!" Toadstool said eagerly.

"Go ahead, Pikkon, show them it doesn't matter what match you get," West Kai said as the green-skinned warrior stepped up.

Reaching inside the box, Pikkon withdraw a thirteen.

"Haha, what an unfortunate break, that one of your boys has to face off against my Pikkon even if it is so late in the tournament!" the West Kai mocked King Kai, who was turning a pinched shade of dark blue.

"Haven't you ever heard that old saying, the bigger they are, the harder they fall?" he yelled.

West Kai merely continued smirking.

"Okay, Yanakido, step up to pick your number!" Announcer Toadstool said.

A young girl, perhaps around the same age as Gohan, walked up to the box next to Grand Kai. This girl had long, feminine pink hair which cascaded down her back in gorgeous, rippling waves, like a very long sheet of bright and vivid color. She possessed dazzling blue eyes of an otherworldly shade, two bony protrusions sticking out of her temples, like miniature cat ears, and a thin, whip-like black tail poking out from her back and ending in a heart-shaped devil's point. All in all, Gohan had to admit she was quite striking.

 _What is a girl that young doing here?_ he thought.

As it turns out, the girl, Yanakido, reached inside and withdrew from the box... a very clear number ten!

"She's my opponent?" Gohan said. "I have to fight a girl?"

Yanakido glanced over and flashed a sly grin, winking at him. The half-Saiyan instantly blushed.

"You just keep on getting bad breaks," West Kai sighed theatrically. "Looks like this whole tournament's gonna be a breeze."

"Don't count Gohan out yet!" King Kai seethed, and then he turned to face Gohan. "GOHAN! KICK HER BUTT, KID!"

"I... I'll try, King Kai," Gohan gulped.

"Okay, that's enough of the bickering, folks!" Toadstool said. He coughed. "Tapikar, your turn."

A very tiny being with a black cap on walked forward. As it turned out, he chose a number three, placing him in round two with Mijorin.

"You must be cursed or something, Northy," West Kai said smugly. "More than half your fighters have to battle with somebody from _my_ quadrant. You may as well just give up now and save some time."

"We're never giving up!" King Kai roared. "Not for you or anyone!"

And with the last fighter from the West Quadrant, Maraikoh, a giant purple dinosaur-like creature, being placed in the eighth round, it was now the East Kai's turn for her warriors to choose their places in the Other World Tournament.

"This shouldn't take too long!" King Kai laughed. "After all, you only have two fighters!"

"You just love to keep harping on about that, don't you?" East Kai shouted.

Arqua, a small, fish-looking being, pulled out a number eleven, therefore placing him in the sixth round with the as-of-yet unchosen fighter, while Chapuchai, a small Indian-looking man with a long, black beard, was left with an eight, putting him in match four against Olibu.

"South Quadrant, it's your turn!" Toadstool said.

Torbie, the strongest fighter in the South Quadrant, moved forward.

"Dad, don't you think that fighter looks a little like Cell?" Gohan asked his father.

"Really?" Goku said, squinting closely at the red-skinned insect man. "I don't see it."

Gohan fell over from sheer exasperation. Torbie's number turned out to be five, pitting him in the third match against Sarabu.

"Gamma, it's your turn!" Toadstool said.

A pale-skinned woman with long black hair and a wild look to her made her way to the box, where she picked the number twelve. She shot a glance at Arqua, who looked unnerved to be having the big, scary-looking woman staring at him.

"Come on up, Caterpy!" Toadstool said grandly.

And a large, harmless-looking caterpillar creature picked a two.

"Oh darn," Goku said. "I was hoping to fight Pikkon or Olibu."

"Look at it this way," Gohan said reasonably, holding up a finger. "If you make it past your first two matches, you might be fighting Torbie or Olibu — and they both got a red slip like us, which means they've gotta be very strong."

"Hey, yeah, you're right!" Goku said, getting excited again. "And if someone beats them, then he's gotta be even _stronger_!"

With all of the fighters chosen, Froug was automatically placed in the final round against Maraikoh.

"All right now, those are the kind of matches I like!" Announcer Toadstool said, pumping a fist. "There'll be a twenty-minute recess before the tournament begins for our competitors to clear up any business they'd like to take care of."

"Okay, now, cats, I wanna see a good, fun tournament," Grand Kai said. "It ain't gonna be worthwhile if none of you remember why we're even here in this first place, dig? Just relax and feel the good vibes."

And with that, the assembled congregation broke up, heading back to their own respective Kais for some advice and encouragement.

"Okay, we might have better odds on our side than the other Kais, but... that _doesn't_ mean we should, via any means, get complacent," King Kai said. "This tournament will be more intense than anything any of you have ever fought in, especially you, Goku, Gohan. I warn you, do not underestimate your opponents or you will surely lose."

"Got it!" Gohan said, nodding. "I promise I won't let you down."

"What's complacent mean, King Kai?" Goku whined.

Everyone on the North Quadrant team fell over, even King Kai.

"Never mind that!" he said angrily. "Just don't let your guard down!"

"Oh, okay," Goku said. Suddenly, his stomach growled. "Um, can I go get something to eat, King Kai?"

"I see some things never change," King Kai sighed. "All right, we'll take a small break to go get some lunch."

"Awesome, yeah!" Goku said. "Thanks a lot, King Kai."

"Just don't take too long, Daddy," Gohan reminded him. "Remember, you're fighting in the first match."

Goku turned a smile on his firstborn son. "Don't worry, Gohan. I promise, I'll be back with plenty of time to spare. I'm not gonna miss a chance to have a one-on-one fight with my only son, count on it!"

Gohan chuckled and wandered in his own direction while his father headed off with King Kai. Truth be known, he was thinking about that girl, Yanakido, and wondering exactly how powerful she really was. What kind of fight would she give him?

 _I wish I'd paid attention to her power level_ , Gohan thought.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Gohan turned around. Standing there behind him was a squat old man with a bizarre blend of robe and martial arts uniform in a flowery, checkered design. The old man had a white beard and mustache and a greenish-gray cap atop his head. But Gohan sensed a deep inner kindness to the man, a sort of warm geniality and a genuine love for life which Gohan felt that he could grow to respect.

"Hello there," the old man said pleasantly.

"Hi, sir," Gohan told him politely.

"I was just wondering if you could help me find somebody," the old man went on.

"Um, sure," Gohan said. "But first, could you tell me your name?"

"Sure thing, young man," the old man said. "I am Son Gohan."

"WHAT?!" Gohan exclaimed, shocked. "That's impossible! _My_ name is Son Gohan!"

"Oh my, what an incredible coincidence!" the old man said, sounding amazed. "It seems you're the one I've been looking for!

Gohan stared at the old man, taking him in for the first time.

"You must be my dad's grandpa, the one who taught him martial arts when he was a boy," he said.

"That's right," Old Gohan said. "I guess my search was successful. I had been looking for my grandson for some time, but I never thought I would find you, his son. To think, my little grandson, now a father. Oh, how I wish I could have been around to see it."

"Um, well, it is nice to meet you, Great-Grandpa," Gohan said with a boy of respect.

"Likewise, young man," Old Gohan told the hybrid.

"But, what are you doing here, Great-Grandpa?" Gohan asked.

"Well, I heard from Fortuneteller Baba that my grandson had been killed fighting an evil monster named Cell," Old Gohan explained. "At first, I couldn't believe my ears, and then I began hearing talk of an Other World Tournament taking place on the Grand Kai's planet and I knew if there was any place I would locate my grandson, it would be here."

"Oh, and you wanted to see him again!" Gohan said.

"Yes, and to see how far he has progressed with his training," Old Gohan told Gohan. "I figured that watching him compete in the Other World Tournament would show me just how far his skills have come along, although I am concerned he might not have what it takes. The warriors here in Other World are incredibly strong, maybe out of his league."

"Well, you don't have to worry, Great-Grandpa," Gohan assured him. "We're no pushovers."

Old Gohan nodded in understanding. "I don't want to reveal to my grandson yet that I am here at this tournament. It might distract him in the coming fights, and I want his mind to be fully concentrated on his fighting. Will you promise not to tell him I'm here, Gohan?"

"Don't worry, Great-Grandpa!" Gohan said. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, young man," Old Gohan said, and he turned back to move off into the crowd.

He had apparently left just in the nick of time, because when Gohan turned around, he found his dad and King Kai standing there.

"Ah, Dad, what are you doing here?" Gohan yelped with surprise.

"Well, I finished eating, and King Kai said it was time for the tournament!" Goku explained. He noticed how jumpy Gohan appeared and decided to ask him what was up. "Hey, you look a little nervous. Worried about your fights?"

"Oh, you know, I just wanna be in top condition when I fight her!" Gohan chuckled anxiously.

"Well, we'd better head over to the arena," King Kai said. "It's about time to start."

Gohan, Goku, and King Kai all moved over to where the rest of the North Quadrant team had assembled. Off on the other three corners stood the other gods and their teams, each giving them a pep talk.

Announcer Toadstool got up in the ring and cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between, the Other World Tournament will now begin!"


	6. Tournament Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

"In celebration of the North Kai's death!" Toadstool added.

King Kai fell over. Once he got back up, he shook a clenched fist at the assembled otherworldly beings. "STOP DOING THAT!"

"Do you think they'll ever give King Kai a break, Dad?" Gohan asked Goku.

"Don't know," Goku said in confusion.

"We'll start off our festivities with a word from the Grand Kai himself!" Announcer Toadstool said.

The Grand Kai cleared his throat, sitting up straighter in his throne. "You should fight fair — and I want you all to fight clean," he advised. "But above all fight like you mean it and give us something to cheer for!"

Everyone cheered. Announcer Toadstool bowed.

"Thank you, Grand Kai," he said. "Now I'll explain the rules of the tournament. This will be single elimination, with each winning fighter progressing until we reach the finals, where it shall be decided by a two-on-two match! If you fall out of the ring, start to cry, or give up, you lose! And poking in the eye, or hitting below the belt, are plain mean and are not allowed! Needless to say you can't kill anybody in this Other World Tournament, because... they're all already dead!"

"I had a disturbing thought," Gohan said. "What happens if get killed again after you die?"

"Simple, little dude," Grand Kai said. "You would cease to exist."

Gohan winced, staring at the Grand Kai in complete horror.

The Grand Kai must have noticed how badly it bothered Gohan, because he laughed and went on to reassure him. "Don't worry, baby. It ain't ever come up before because it ain't ever happened to me in the entire time I've been Grand Kai, get it?"

"Yes, it takes a tremendous amount of force to destroy a spirit," King Kai said to the young boy. "Only one other being in the entire universe ever had that level of power, and he is no longer in existence, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Oh, that's good," Gohan sighed as he slumped in relief.

"Let's get this crazy show on the road!" Toadstool shouted loudly, exciting the audience. "There're big prizes at stake! The winner will receive bragging rights, a gold medal, and a special private lesson with the Grand Kai!"

Goku smiled, eagerly looking forward to the competition.

"Who here wants to fight?" Toadstool said.

The crowd cheered.

"Who wants a lesson from the Grand Kai?"

Again, the crowd cheered, now even louder.

"Are you sure?" Toadstool asked them all.

The crowd's cheering reached its highest pitch.

"Then let's get started with today's first match!" he said. "Fighting first, the newest face from the North Quadrant, Son Goku!"

Goku stepped up into the arena, looking happy.

"Beat him, Dad!" Gohan told his daddy. "I know you can do it!"

Goku looked back and nodded at his only son, and up above, in the stands, a discrete distance away from the wildly cheering audience, so his grandson wouldn't see him, was Old Gohan, staring down into the ring that Goku had just now entered, looking very pensive.

"This tournament is going to be much more intense than any of the ones you competed in back on Earth," Old Gohan said with concern. "I sure hope you have the skills needed to pull it off, my boy, or you are going to be in a lot of trouble."

"And from the South Quadrant, we have a longtime favorite, Caterpy!" Toadstool said.

The caterpillar man stepped into the ring, looking confident.

"This should be interesting," Toadstool said.

Then, the Grand Kai rang a gong, signaling the start of the match. Without hesitation, Caterpy moved closer to Goku, laughing in a high voice. Goku looked nervous as the bug being moved closer to him. Suddenly, Caterpy lunged!

Effortlessly, Goku dodged all the blows from Caterpy, ducking to the left, right, from side to side, till Caterpy came to understand he wasn't going to catch his prey. Smirking, he opened up all eight of his arms.

"Don't look into his eyes!" King Kai warned him.

"Why?" Gohan asked, sounding worried. "What will happen if he does?"

"It's something I heard a while back," King Kai explained.

Suddenly, Goku found himself frozen, staring into the eyes, and Caterpy lunged forward, his arms moving to engulf Goku in a seeming bear hug... but at the last moment, Goku shook off the mind control, then leaped high into the air.

"Way to go, Daddy!" Gohan cheered.

"He shook off Caterpy's Hypnosis Stare," Old Gohan remarked, surprised. "Most impressive. I didn't think it was possible to do that. His skills have come a long way since we fought when I was alive."

However, it was far from over, as two of Caterpy's arms stretched upward like warm putty and latched onto his father in the air.

"Oh no!" King Kai said. "He's caught him!"

"Dad!" Gohan cried.

From the stands, Old Gohan sighed.

"It's already over," he said. "No one who was ever caught by this fighter has ever escaped."

Caterpy pulled Goku closer and wrapped him up with his eight arms.

"Darn it!" Goku shouted, struggling to squirm his way free.

Caterpy laughed. "You can't escape me now."

"What's he gonna do to him?" Gohan asked King Kai.

"I... don't know," the northern god admitted. "I've never seen him fight before!"

And suddenly, to the surprise of everyone assembled, Caterpy took his six arms and began tickling Goku!

"What... is he doing?" Gohan asked, a big sweatdrop forming on his head.

"He... can't be serious," King Kai mumbled, his halo falling down over his face.

The rest of the audience seem to be similarly affected. Even the indifferent Pikkon was sweating exasperatedly.

"Caterpy has given Goku the Tickle Torture!" Toadstool announced. "Could he be any cheaper?"

West Kai and East Kai both stared at South Kai, who refused to return their searching gazes.

"South Quadrant must be a very peaceful place," Olibu said, arms folded, a disapproving expression on his face.

"Not anymore..." Gohan murmured sadly, remembering Broly and how effortlessly he had blown up a galaxy in the South Quadrant.

"Just give up!" Caterpy prodded. "Say that you give up! Say it now!"

This went on for several minutes before Gohan had enough.

"Dad, come on, quit horsing around!" Gohan said. "We're here to win! Show that Caterpy what you're made of!"

"You're — ahahahahaha! — right — heheheheheh! — Gohan!" Goku managed in between laughs.

And just like that, Goku shot up into the air in a burst of energy, taking Caterpy along with him. In midair, Goku turned backwards and dropped to the ring floor, smashing his back into Caterpy, who made contact with the arena and instantly let go of Goku from the pain. The place they had landed could be seen to have a noticeable crack in it.

"I'll say!" East Kai exclaimed. "The rookie has talent after all!"

On the ring floor, Caterpy struggled to rise to his feet.

"Uh, I think you kinda overdid it, Dad," Gohan said, worried at how injured Caterpy seemed to be.

"Yeah, I thought he'd put up a better fight than this," Goku said, scratching his head.

"You... meanie!" Caterpy said angrily. "Picking on me like that! You're gonna be sorry!"

And with glowing eyes, Goku quickly dodged out of the way, but Caterpy wasn't interested in him, and he curled up, falling to the ring in a fetal ball, which quickly turned into a mottled, sick gray shade.

"Um, aren't you supposed to fight in a fight?" Goku said in confusion.

"What a development!" Toadstool said eagerly. "Caterpy has begun some kind of bizarre metamorphosis!"

All the fighters stared in puzzlement at what was happening. Suddenly, strands of some kind of web shot out from Caterpy's sides and started weaving and stitching themselves all around the South fighter's body, encasing him in a thick cocoon-like shell.

"What's he doing?" West Kai said.

South Kai held up a fist. "He's become Pupa. In time, he will change into his ultimate form."

Announcer Toadstool stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Pardon me, South Kai, but may I just ask how much time this metamorphosis of his is gonna take?" he pressed, hoping to avoid any timely delays.

South Kai straightened his collar. "I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of twelve hundred years."

Everyone fell over, including the Grand Kai on his throne. East Kai and West Kai just stared at the South Kai, who continued ignoring them.

Goku climbed back up. "Gee, I don't think I can wait that to finish this."

"Yeah, well, neither can I," Grand Kai said, still sprawled out on the floor. He rose to his feet. "So Goku wins by default."

"I do?" Goku repeated in tones of happiness. "Woo-hoo! I did it!"

"So the rookie thinks he actually has some skill," East Kai said, smirking. "He may be stronger than I initially gave him credit for, but he's still way too far out of his league in this kind of a competition."

"Just you wait and watch," King Kai sniffed. "Either Goku or Gohan will bring home the title."

Up above, Old Gohan stroked his mustache. "Hm, that was most impressive. I know Caterpy's skill level, and I know how strong he is despite how easy his defeat seemed at your hands, Goku. I also know that transfiguring to his second stage of development was something he never truly desired to do, for he would miss not only the conclusion of this tournament, but also the next several hundred years of his life after death — in truth, he had no other option."

Old Gohan observed Goku with a kind of a fascinated awe etched across his features.

"Goku has improved considerably since I last saw him eleven years ago," he said. "I've never heard of somebody developing their power and technique to this extent without training for thousands of years; it's simply unbelievable. How does he DO it?"

He glanced at the little boy conversing happily with his father about his win.

"Is his son as powerful as he is?" he wondered. "I can only speculate."

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but it is now time to start the second match!" Announcer Toadstool shouted. "From the north, we'll have Mijorin squaring off against esteemed West Quadrant veteran, Tapikar!"

"And so soon in the tournament too," West Kai said, sighing theatrically as he held his arms up in seeming defeat. "Well, at least you'll have three chances before my boys make quick work of your team."

Far from getting angry, King Kai instead began laughing. "We'll see who's laughing once this match is over!" He waved his arm, calling to the purple fox man. "Hey, Mijorin! I just wanna say, if you don't win this match, then you'll be lifting weights for two hundred years!"

"Gosh, that's harsh," Goku said, looking stunned.

"Two hundred years?" Gohan added, also shocked. "I don't know if I could even last that long, even as a Super Saiyan 2!"

"I'll do my best, North Kai," Mijorin said, turning to face Tapikar. "Despite the great rivalry between our quadrants, I hope you engage your fiercest efforts to beat me so that the winner of this round can say he earned the outcome."

"Of course!" Tapikar said in a gravely, high-pitched voice, smirking. "It'd be a shame if I withheld even the tiniest bit of my power and lost because of my arrogance. We'll see just how powerful you are, foxy."

And with that, the two competitors entered the ring.

"All right!" Toadstool said. "The fighters are ready, the atmosphere is tense — everything's set for an ultimate clash between these two rival quadrants? Who shall be the winner and who shall be the loser? Your guess is as good as mine!"

The Grand Kai rang his gong again, and the announcer scrambled out of the way of way of the two combatants.

"Second round, begin!"


End file.
